UN confirms Israeli decision to reopen 3rd aid crossing into Gaza

Amid continuing calls for greater aid access, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday that Israel has announced it is reopening the Zikim crossing into the north of the Gaza Strip.



"Overnight, Israeli authorities informed the UN that the Zikim crossing, between Israel and northern Gaza, will reopen for humanitarian cargo," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).



The Zikim crossing, closed for two months, will be the third crossing to be opened following the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing, near the Egyptian border, and the Kissufim crossing, between Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, as aid access points.



Humanitarians have been calling for greater aid access to the heavily populated north. During the two-month closure, no supplies entered Gaza directly from the north of the strip. Travel up from the southern crossings was hampered by heavily damaged roads.



OCHA said the United Nations has, in recent weeks, been repairing the road leading up to Zikim from inside Gaza in preparation for the reopening and to enable the resumption of cargo collection. It has begun final checks, including on potential unexploded ordnance.